


Space Fish

by Artistic_Alex



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cute Ending, Fish Friend, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Funny, Gen, How Do I Tag, Nikki is a low key furry, Pure Dolph, Pure Space Kid, Space kids real name is Neil btw, i tried guys, inspired from tumblr, self awareness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 12:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20243119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artistic_Alex/pseuds/Artistic_Alex
Summary: Head-Canon from camp-camp-dweeb“Spacekid once took off his helmet to use as a fishbowl for a dying fish.”https://camp-camp-dweeb.tumblr.com/post/186858563100/spacekid-once-took-off-his-helmet-to-use-as-a





	Space Fish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [camp-camp-dweeb](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=camp-camp-dweeb).

> Inspired fic! I’m glad with how it turned out. I wish I could have added more characters like Harrison and Nerris but things became busy, hopefully no one is disappointed. Check the end notes for the tumblr user who inspired this story and make sure to check them out. :)
> 
> https://shreks-baby-girl.tumblr.com/

“Maybe you should take a walk for a bit, let Nurf get some air.” Gwen says as she wipes the blood from a scratch on his knee that managed itself through the child’s pants. “He’s just a bit sensitive since his mom hadn’t sent him anything this time around, I’m sure it’ll work out.” 

Gwen goes to reach for Space kids helmet for him to retract. “No! I can’t let anybody touch it. Nurf broke my last one and this was one that my mom sent me. It’s important that I keep this one safe.” He says, placing his hands delicately onto the dome shaped glass.

Gwen hesitates and debates an eye roll but instead offers a gentle smile. “Alright.” She says. “Just come tell me if it starts to hurt and I’ll give you what you need to patch it up, alright? And be careful, stay away from the water unless you have one of us with you.” 

Space kid goes to thank her before her eyes trail to the side in horror. “Nurf, stop painting swastikas on Dolph’s drawings! Nurf, goddammit!” Space kid watches as an upset Dolph observes a cackling Nurf paint different offensive signs on his latest art pieces, along with Gwen storming over to collect Nurf for a time out.

  


*****

  


Space kid looks back over to the trees that loomed above the campground, a few leaves flying off from the branches from the harsh wind. He wishes he could better feel the breeze, especially in the current humid heat, but alas, the struggles of being a spaceman made this for not.

He begins to wonder if it will rain. It hasn’t rained in awhile, he thinks to himself. Some indoor activities could be nice, maybe David could let him be a camp counselor for the day as he made Dolph one not long ago. 

If he was camp counselor for the day he’d probably show his friends how to make stars and show them the constellations at night that his dad taught him about, or maybe he’d tell them about his family ancestry, or maybe-

Suddenly his eyes catch something moving in the distance. At first he didn’t think anything of it since it was probably a leaf, but then he sees it move again, a flopping sound now apparent. What was that?

He steps a bit closer and peers over the tree. It was a bird, but at closer inspection he sees the hawk like animal attempting to carry a fish much too large for its size off from the ground.

He’s about to stop the bird until he sees the lake. 

He isn’t supposed to go by it without David and Gwen. He could get in trouble and not allowed to go walking alone again, he hardly earned back this privilege after last time. But… This was worth it right? Yes, it was, he says to himself with a nod. He finally runs towards the large animal and begins to make noise to scare him away.

“Caw! Ca-Caw! Shoo!” Caw!” Space kid yells as he flaps his arm at the bird. Without hesitation the bird frantically flies away, leaving a “drowning” fish and the worried child.

“You’re gonna be okay, Mr. Fish, I’ve saved you!” He says, walking over and kneeling to the it.

Space kid winces at the fish lying in a small puddle of blood and water, only wiggling slightly on the ground.

The fish was still moving, that was good, at least he thinks so. Shouldn’t it be more energetic and more fish like on land?

He carefully scoops up the fish and carries it back to the water only a few feet away. 

“Here you go, little guy.” He says as he gently places him in the water.

The fish has yet to swim away, instead still lightly wiggling it’s back fin in the water.

“Oh geez, you can swim away now, Mr. Fish, you’re safe, I scared the bird away.”

He still stays.

Space kid decides to seat himself in the sand and watch over the fish only for it to remain still.

Maybe it just likes him a lot and wanted to stay? He can’t though, he needs to swim happily into the water and find his family and show them he’s okay. Maybe he has a fish wife and kids he needs to return to. He can’t stay with him, he’s not his dad after all.

“Gah! Stupid Neil, I can’t believe him…” Space kid turns around to hear someone coming, causing him to scatter away from the water and quickly brush the sand off himself.

“Nikki! Hey!” He greets awkwardly. 

“Hey Space Kid.” She says, a pout still on her face. 

“Are, uh, are you okay?” He asks, tilting his head.

She frowns and brings her brows together. “I was until Neil told me I couldn’t join them on their adventure. Something about me “being too loud and clumsy.” Can you believe him?” She says, crossing her arms. “What are you doing out here, are Gwen and David here with you?”

Space kid hesitated, looking between her bright pink irises to the lake.

“Uh-“

She raises an eyebrow. 

“Um… Are you… Okay?” She asks. 

“I-“ 

“Holy- What is that?” She asks loudly pointing to the lake.

“It’s-“ 

Suddenly Nikki is running past him animal style to observe the sudden thrashing from the lake shore.

“Woah! Cool!” She says, observing the bloody fish.” 

Space kid trips over himself trying to catch up, ultimately failing as he falls helmet first into the sand beside her.

“Yeah. I found him on the sand earlier.”

“I could totally feed him to my bird friend!” She says enthusiastically. Space kids eyes widened in horror and he sits up. “You can’t do that!”

She tilts her head, confused. “Why not?”

“Because, look at him! He deserves to live!” 

Nikki doesn’t look at the fish and instead continues to look at him, confused. “I’m just moving the circle of life along, it’s okay, isn’t it? My mom told me that once when I saw her and her boy friend-”

He decides to interrupt, stories about Nikki’s mom and her boyfriends make him sad and kind of scared. 

He shakes his head, causing the dome to clink as it moves. “No! You can’t. I mean, just look at him, you can’t tell me he’s not worth saving and worth feeding to some weird hawk-“

She frowns and looks back to the fish. After a moment her eyes soften. “He… He is pretty cute…” She says with a smile. “And I guess my bird could always find another thing to eat…”

“Right?” Space kid says. “How come he didn’t swim away?” She asks.

“I don’t know..” He replied honestly. “Maybe he just likes me a lot?” Nikki shakes her head and squinted her eyes as she observes the fish in her hands. “I think he’s too hurt. His tail is all torn up.” She notes. “I don’t think he’d be safe out here.” 

“Then what do we do?” 

They both sit and think, Nikki placing the wounded fish back into the lake temporarily so he can breathe.

They can’t just leave him here, he couldn’t heal quick enough and the bird would just come back and hurt him. They couldn’t just carry him back to camp, he might fall from their hands or suffocate before they get Gwen and David’s help. They can’t bring Gwen to help because she’ll know he was by the lake when he wasn’t supposed to be. They didn’t have any buckets or bowls around and they couldn’t leave to get them… What do they do? 

Space kid taps the helmet in place of his chin in thought before he practically feels the lightbulb shine above his head.

He could use his space helmet! He thinks inwardly. But… That would mean taking it off, his last helmet. He couldn’t just do that. It wouldn’t make him a spaceman anymore. No one except the counselors had seen him without his helmet. But… Mr. Fish was worth saving.

He slowly reaches his hands up to his head, his hands shaking nervously as he begins to raise them.

“There’s not a lot we can do, but maybe we can— oh my gosh, Space kid, what?!” Nikki says as Space kid walks to the water with the glass bowl in his hands.

“It’s just Neil now.” He says as he scoops water into the helmet. “We can watch him until he gets better, then we can set him free.” Nikki carefully picks up the fish and sets him into the filled glass helmet with care. 

“Come on, Mr. Fish, lets take you to your new temporary home.” 

  


*****

When they reenter the center of camp, the campers seem to be busy with their own activities, Max and Neil nowhere to be seen as David stands alone, watching the campers like a hawk.

The fish hasn’t moved hardly at all. It could be mistaken for dead if not for the strained movement in its gills.

Space ki- _ Neil _had Nikki carry the bowl since she’s proven herself to be stronger than him, he instead carefully holds his hands beneath it as a second defense for if it did fall from her hands.

“How’s he looking from your angle?” Space Neil asks. 

“Like a dying fish.” She responds, looking into the bowl. “I don’t know if he’ll make it.” She says sadly, “the water is already murky from his blood. It’s kinda cool but still-“

David turns his head slightly when he sees them in his peripheral, at first ignoring them but then widening his eyes as he sees the children carrying a bloody bowl.

“Hey David!” Nikki waves, only to quickly return her hands to the bowl as it slips from her hands slightly.

“Nikki! Gosh— we talked about you bringing dead animals back to camp, it’s unsafe and it scares the other campers!”

“It’s not a dead one this time! I’m trying to save him.” She says, carrying the bowl and handing it to David.

“Oh?” He says as he inspects the bowl, wincing as his eyes catch onto the nasty cut along the anal fin.

“Oh… Oh dear. Um children, we’ve talked about what happens when animals die, right?” 

David asks, eyes blinking nervously.

“Yeah, why?” Space Neil and Nikki ask simultaneously. 

“I…” he kneels down to their eye level while gently places the bowl in the dirt. “I don’t think he’ll… Make it.” David finally says.

Nikki gasps before pointing an accusing finger. “How dare you! This poor fish has been through heck! You can’t take one look at him and determine his fate! We’ll heal him, well give him all the worms in the world!” She says loudly, drawing Dolphs attention. 

“V’hat am I hearing about determining fate?” He asks, wiping paint from his hands. “It sounds like a very inspiring art piece, v’ould you mind my involvement?” 

They eyed him strangely before looking back to the fish. 

“Come on David, you have to help us save him! He’s so young, so beautiful!” Nikki cries, shaking the older man's shoulders.

The guilt seems to get to him immediately as he raises his hands in defeat. “Alright! I’ll do what I can, but I don’t think it will be much…” he looks into the fish bowl. “What do you guys need?” 

“Well we know nothing about fish, and you’re a camp nerd, tell us facts, do your thing.” Nikki says, waving her hands.

“Is it that obvious that I’d be the type of person to study fish in their free time?”

They all raise a brow.

“Right…”

He rotated the bowl slightly, peering in at the barely moving fish, taking in the last of its defined features.

“Well, it appears to be a Pumpkinseed Sunfish. They are part of the Centrarchidae family, and are known by many different names, though that isn’t relevant... They appear to be quite large, especially in a lake like ours. They are fairly common in Northern states as well as a few South.”

Nikki, Space Neil, and Dolph tilt their heads, eyeing him confused.

“Besides what they eat, obviously being things like plants in the water and any bugs they can find near the shore, I have nothing useful. What I can recommend is cleaning this bowl, or even better, transferring them to a square container. They don’t appear to be getting enough oxygen circulating through this bowl.” 

“Wait, fish need air?” Space Neil asks.

“Sure do, all fish need it. That’s why they have gills, it’s like a filter. You ever see a fish bob at the top of the water as if it’s drinking? It’s because their not getting enough air.”

Dolph nods his head. “My goldvish used to do that before he went to sleep.” 

David nods and turns back to the bowl. 

“He also needs clean water, but you can’t pour in completely new water now without hurting them, take a little bit at a time before adding new water in.”

Nikki and Space Neil nod as they take back the bowl.

“We’ll do that, whatever it takes to save Barfalemew!”

“Barfalemew?” They all question Nikki. 

“Yeah? Why not, it’s a cool name!”

David lifts the bowl above his head only to lower it seconds later. “It appears to be a female, though I might be wrong, but my fish knowledge has yet to fail me so far.”

“David!” Gwen calls out. “I need help getting this shit unloaded since quarter master couldn’t be fucking bothered” she yells, pulling hard at the box sitting in the trunk. 

“Excuse me, I have to help Gwen, good luck!” 

They watch him rush over to aid his co-counselor, leaving them alone once more with the fish.

“Well… Now what?”

“We need to change out his water.” Nikki says, peering into the glass.”

Space Neil shakes his head. “We can’t until we rehome him.” 

“V’ell, he mentioned a square container, perhaps we could look for one, a tank of some sort?”

Space Neil’s face falls. “I don’t think they’d have that here.”

“I know where you can find one” a rough voice says from behind them. Dolph eyes widen as he backs up.

“V’ell, my art won’t be finishing itself! Sehe euch später!” Dolph says before running off.

Space Neil’s shoulders tense as he sees Nurf looming about them.

“Woah, no need to get into some type of defense mode.” He says, placing his hands open palmed in front of him. 

“What do you want?” Nikki asked suspiciously.

“I want to be involved, is all.” He says with a shrug. Nikki tilts her head. “And why would you want that after you beat up Space Kid?” She asks carefully. 

“I… I don’t know. I’m bored. Do you want to know where you can find one or not?” 

The two look to each other before sighing.

“I guess… Thanks, Nurf.” 

Nurf gives a half smile. “No problem.”

  


*****

  


Nikki continues to carry the bowl as they follow Nurf into the woods.

“Why are we out here again?” She asks.

“I saw this shed or something one time. I think it was, like, a fishing shack or something? I don’t know. I took the fishing knives and spears and kinda just forgot about it until I heard you guys needed fish stuff.”

They nod as they continue to walk off the main path into the thicker part of the woods.

“Are we almost there? My arms are tired.” Nikki whines.

“It should be around…” He scopes the area with his hand covering his eyes. “There!” He points to a rickety shack not far in the distance.

They walk the rest of the way, Nurf taking a second to rip the warped door from its place. They cough as the dusty air from inside pours into their face.

“Okay, where is it again?” Space Neil asks. 

“One second Nurf says as he searches the dark shack. 

“Uhhh… Found it!” 

A few seconds later he’s pulling out a large tank with an attached filter. 

“Here we go!” He exclaims, dusting off his hands. “It’s about twenty gallons I think, plenty of room, just needs to be cleaned.” 

He shifts feet nervously. “Oh.. And I found this.” He hands Space Neil a large foam cup labeled “Bait.”

“What’s this?” He asks.

“It’s worms and stuff. I don’t know if they’re alive but they’ll work, I think.”

Space Neil smiles. “Thanks.” 

He smiles back. “Yeah, whatever.” 

He picks up the tank. 

“I’ll help you get this back.”

  


*****

  


Nurf sets down the now clean tank between the cots, huffing slightly.

“Alright, okay…” he says, wiping his forehead.

A few moments later Nikki is hauling a stolen wagon full of water into the tent. She’s struggling, one of the wheels rusted completely making it difficult for it to move easily. She lets go of the handle and lets out a deep breath.

Space Neil sets the bowl down.

“Thanks Nikki!” He says, grabbing the jug, “I don’t think I could have done this.” 

She smiles dizzily, tired from the long distance pull.

“Now what?” Nurf asks.

Space Neil taps his chin, looking between the items in the tent.

“David said that we can’t poor in too much water at once… So maybe we can fill it up with a little bit of the lake water and then add the normal water?”

“Yeah. That sounds good,” Nikki agreed, “I don’t think I brought enough water for that anyway.” 

  
  


*****

  


After what felt like forever, the tank was half full, Space Neil holds the bowl carefully over the tank.

Dolph had returned to retrieve more paint, eyeing the tent carefully while it gained many new items since last time he’d been in it.

“I… How do I pour him in without hurting him?” He asks, carefully tilting the bowl from side to side.

“Try lowering it, maybe he v’ill swim out?”

He lowers the glass container carefully, the sudden air begins sucked from the bowl causing the fish to rise. They all sigh in relief.

“I guess now we just have to wait for him to heal.” Space Neil says. “The filters plugged in right?” He asks.

“Yeah.” Nurf says, “I found an extension cord in the Mess Hall. Should be working. I thin you have to change the stuff inside it when it gets dirty?” 

They nod.

“So, what should we name hi– her?” Space Neil asks.

“Barfalemewette!” 

They shoot Nikki a judging glare.

“V’hat about “Raumfische?”

Nurf last face coiled in disgust. 

“Doesn’t that like, mean “ram fish” in Spanish? That’s pretty fucked up, Dolph.” 

“V’hat?? No! It means space fish in German, that sounds nothing like Spanish-“

“Listen, I respect that you’re capable of speaking multiple languages and pride myself in my open mind to different ethnic backgrounds since indifference and acceptance is important in this decade, but no one wants to hear about your Spanish right now.”

Dolph is about to correct him regretfully when Nikki jumps up again.

“Yolanda!”

“No!”

They all cross their arms and stew heavily in thought.

“What about Pumpkin…?” Space Neil asks quietly.

Their postures soften.

“That’s... Not bad.” Nikki says. “I mean, I would have gone with “Oceana” but Pumpkin works.”

“Yes, I agree, it is very fitting considering her fish type.” Dolph adds helpfully.

“It’s… Alright.” Nurf adds.

Space Neil smiles, looking into the tank.

“Pumpkin it is then.” 

  


*****

It’s been a month. A month of carefully holding the fish in place for feeding, a month of changing the water, a month of having a third bunk mate.

Space Neil hasn’t been wearing his glass helmet, since it’s heavily stained in fish blood and smells like Quartermasters beard, he’s decided to go without. He’s sent a letter for another one, though.

It’s strange having the wind hitting his skin, how he now has to squint his eyes on a windy day.

It’s annoying, he’ll regretfully admit, but he doesn’t regret saving Pumpkin.

He’s enjoyed his time with Pumpkin. 

After she started to heal he added some decor to her tank, made by him and Dolph to go along with the space theme they had sent in their shared tent. At night he’d listen to the calming flow of the old filter and look at the little plastic stars in the tent with Pumpkin. 

Pumpkin was better now, though a faint scar and a strange swimming pattern remained.

No one expected her to survive, claiming he wouldn’t be “competent” enough to care for another living being all because he couldn’t take care of himself. How ridiculous!

David’s surprised she managed to stay healthy without infection mostly.

But he pulled through. He’s trained Pumpkin to eat from his hand, he just needs to hold his hand very still to not scare the poor girl away. Nurf wanted to teach her to jump through rings of fire but before Space Neil could accept David had stepped in and reminded the campers about fire hazards.

Typical David.

Space Neil was happy Pumpkin was better… Until.

“V’hen do you plan on returning her to za sea?” Dolph asks one night, while sketching in his book. “She is swimming again, she is eating, and she has no injuries. V’hat are your plans?”

Space Neil rolls onto his stomach.

“Uhhh… I don’t know.” He replies. 

“I think you need to set her free. She probably misses her friends.” Dolph inquires, raising a brow as he roughly erases a line from his drawing.

Space Neil frowns. “Do I have to?” 

“Of course, wouldn’t you want to go home to? You’ve been homesick, yes?”

He nods sadly. “Yeah…” 

“Listen.” He says, setting down his pad, “you are my best friend and so is Pumpkin, I v’ould do anything for either of you, but you need to know that she’ll be better out there, yeah? She can’t live in a tank by herself forever. V’hat happens when we leave? I love her very much, but she’s sad in that glass box.” 

Space Neil slowly begins to see his point.

“I… You’re right. Tomorrow we can release her.”

Dolph smiles. 

“I will prepare decorations for her going away party.” 

  
  


*****

  


He carefully scoops the fish into the helmet, being sure that she doesn’t flop to her side and hit the floor. She panics and darts from edge to edge before finally settling.

It’s hard to imagine this being the same fish as the one they found almost dead weeks before.

“Space Neeeeeil! I brought fire ants for Pumpkin!” 

Nikki could be heard outside, making her daily visit to the tent.

“I searched all morning and only got bit only a few dozen times!” 

Space Neil doesn’t respond, instead carefully making sure to hold the bowl steady.

He jumps, almost dropping the precious fish when the flap of the tent opens.

“Space Neil, I-“ she gasps, “what are you doing with Pumpkin?!” She yells. 

“I’m taking her-“

“Don’t tell me, you’re going to eat her, aren’t you? You had her gain her health only to hurt her in the end, just like that one tv show my mom watched, you’re a traitor!” She gains a hostile almost animal like posture.

She reaches for the bowl only for Space Neil to recoil.

“No, don’t, you’re going to hurt her!”

“Better me than you!” 

She kicks his legs causing him to lose balance and fall, he drops the bowl midair only for Nikki to swoop in and catch it, holding her above her head in victory.

“I got you, girl!” 

Space Neil lay disoriented, his head spinning with metaphorical birds as he looks back to the rabid girl before him.

“No!” He grabs her ankles causing her to fall. “She deserves to be free!”

“In heaven, you sick monster!?” 

“I’m only trying to-“

They freeze as they realize no one caught the bowl. It lay solemnly in the dirt a few feet from them, thankfully unharmed.

They meet each other’s eye contact, looking between the bowl and each other for a split second before tripping over each other in a race to grab it, just meer inches from it, they trample each other and end back up on the ground. 

“I’ll take good care of her! You’re not being a good dad, this is why women take the kids!” She says with a shove.

“I just want to let her go!” He cries out.

Suddenly a tall figure is grabbing the bowl, temporarily stopping the argument.

“My my! We’ve talked about rough housing Nikki!” He inspects the bowl. “Especially so close to poor Pumpkin here! Gosh, if this shattered you could have hurt yourself, and our little aquatic friend. I’m quite disappointed in you campers.” David says, as stern as a David could possibly manage.

“Sorry David…” Space Neil says honestly in a low voice.

David gives him a warm smile. “It’s alright, Space Kid.” 

“Actually it’s Space Neil.” Nikki corrects. “It’s some weird distinction thing I guess, don’t question it, it’s for comedy probably, terrible writing I’m sure. It just makes character distinction very confusing instead of keeping the original character name the same and instead mashing two in hopes of creating something original because the mighty overlord doesn’t understand basic writing rules.”

David tilts his head, confused. “What does that mean…?”

“Don’t worry about it.” 

“Right…” David clears his throat. “Well, anyways, Dolph has set something up by the lake. He wanted me to collect you two since you’re the last campers not there.”

Space Neil smiles, “he set something up?”

“Why of course. You know how much he cares for Pumpkin.” 

“Then what are we waiting for!” Nikki asks with a bounce. “Lets go!

  
  


*****

  
  


It’s early, Space Neil knows this, but he didn’t think it was early enough for the campers at the lake to be half asleep.

“We’re back everyone!” David informs enthusiastically. They receive a groan.

“So why the fuck are we out here at buttfuck in the morning?” Max asks, taking a large swig of his bitter coffee.

“Yeah. I’d like to know why I was pulled from my new magazine to sit in this shitty humid weather.” Gwen adds, nursing a cup of her own.

“V’ell, today we are setting pumpkin free, and I think it’s an important moment z’at we all should see!” Dolph says with a slight hand clap.

“Yeah, I’m fucking leaving.” Max turns and begins to walk away along with some of the other campers.

“Wait, I brought candy to celebrate!”

Their interest peaks as the turn around and head back.

“Before we send her off back into her family we should say our goodbyes!”

Neil tilts his head. “Isn’t that something you’d do at a funeral?” The curly hair child asked. 

“Perhaps, but we’ll do it here, too!” Space Neil-“ original Neil groans, unlike the many times he’s done this since the new title, “set Pumpkin up on ze table!” 

Space Neil nods and does just that, stepping back after he places the bowl.

“Ered!” You may go first!” Dolph announces. She looks hesitant before hiding it with a flip of her hair, strolling over to the bowl and leaning to look in.

“Um. You smell, but like, you don’t care. Not carings cool, so I guess you’re cool, bye.” She stands up and walks away. 

“Uhhh… Very good!”

“Next!”

  


*****

Everyone had said their goodbyes, only Nurf and Max left. Max is practically pushed to the table by Nikki.

He looks at it for a moment, confused at what to do, David’s about to suggest something when Max is lifting the bowl over his head, causing the camp counselor to sprint and take it from him.

“Alright! Thank you, Max! Please go sit down now!”

Max scowls and walks away, heading towards mess hall. 

“And finally, Nurf, do you have any goodbyes?”

Nurf rubs a hand on his neck as he steps to the bowl, the fish swimming to the forefront almost as a greeting.

“So, uh, goodbye.”

Dolph shakes his head. “No no! You have to say something from your heart!”

He gives him a strange look before turning his attention back to the fish.

“You, uh, you’re pretty cool. How you healed and stuff, you almost died. If I hadn’t bullied Space Kid, you probably would have died and we never would have met you, huh? So I guess I helped?”

Space Neil watches from a distance.

“I think you’re cool, you’d probably like my Betta Fish, Rupert. He can do tricks and stuff, I taught him how to jump in hoops and eat from my hand. It’s cool. If you weren’t leaving you could show his grumpy ass who’s boss, since you managed to survive death.” He coughs awkwardly. “I hope Space Neil knows I’m sorry, that my emotions overwhelm me sometimes, that the age we live in does nothing but stress the youth, but my actions were uncalled for, but I’m glad we met you…”

He gives lopsided grin.

“So yeah. Have fun out there, try not to almost get eaten again, okay?”

Space Neil hears sniffling from his side as Nurf backs up.

“Nurf! That was beautiful!”

He runs to give the large child a hug only to have an ice pick pulled on him.

“Touch me and I’ll aim for the last place I stabbed your hand.” 

David's eyes widen as he tears his hand back.

“Hahaha anyways, I’ll leave you campers to it! Good luck!”

“That dumb fish is just going to get eaten!” Max helpfully adds from a distance.

“Max, please we talked about-“

The children are alone, Nikki, Dolph, Space Neil, and Nurf. Pumpkins saviors.

“We’re gonna miss you.” Space Neil says, hugging the bowl.

He carefully walks to the water, stepping in at slightly above ankle level before kneeling. He turns to see his friends smiling behind him. He slowly pours the bowl out, watching as Pumpkin finally touches the lakes water for the first time in weeks.

She remains still for a moment, not moving at all, but then she’s circling his legs, sporadic and quick. Before he can understand what she is doing, she’s swimming off into the deepest parts of the lake.

“Goodbye Pumpkin.”

  
  


*****

  


Space Neil carefully stands up, picking the now empty but still blood stained bowl up from the water.

Nikki tramps through the water next to Space Neil.

“She’s gone, huh?”

“Of course she is Nikki, we all saw it happen.” Nurf says from on land.

She sends him a look.

“Are you okay?” 

Space Neil swallows the lump in his throat. “I’m going to miss her.”

She places a hand on his shoulder.

“Love is being able to set others free. You were her hero.”

Space Neil looks to the helmet in his hands, raising it until the soaking bowl is once again over his head.

“No one cared who I was until I took off the space suit.”

He solutes the water, his hand tapping the glass causing more fish water to dribble down his face.

“Be well, Pumpkin!”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Two endings I wanted to do but didn’t;
> 
> •Space Kid comes by everyday to feed Pumpkin
> 
> •The second Pumpkin enters the water Nikki’s hawk swoops down and grabs Pumpkin, ends with Nikki pun while everyone watched in horror.
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you liked it! Make sure to check out this tumblr user and thank them for the idea and see more cool headcanons! https://camp-camp-dweeb.tumblr.com/
> 
> https://shreks-baby-girl.tumblr.com/


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